30 April 2014

Happy Easter! I'm late, I know but with all the bunny love and the amount of Kinder Eggs I've been consuming lately it still feels like a celebration. I'm so happy that spring is here and I can break out the summer wardrobe and get some of that fresh country air into my lungs. I have to admit I've been a bit of a slacker recently but taking a break has given me some new inspiration and perspective and I can't wait to start putting my ideas into action!

25 April 2014

Pizza is the best, I think it's one of my favourite foods although probably not the healthiest so I thought I would try my best at making a healthy version. I guarantee you can make this pizza from scratch in the same time it would take you to get one delivered and best of all it's suitable for those of you who are vegans, vegetarians or suffer from wheat or gluten allergies, don't worry people I got all pizza bases covered!

I've tried quite a few difference recipes for pizza bases but surprisingly this roti recipe works & tastes the best, it's super quick, easy to do and best of all yeast, wheat and dairy free.

Pizza Base

1 cup gluten free flour

1/4 tsp xantham gum

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup water

♥ Mix the flour, xantham gum, baking powder and salt in a bow then add the oil

♥ Slowly add the water to the mixture until you have a solid ball of dough, if the mix is too dry feel free to add a little more water.

♥ Let the dough rest for 10 minutes

♥ Divide the mixture into two and roll out the dough into 6 - 8 inch bases.

♥ Brush oil on each side of the dough and cook in frying pan on a medium heat until it bubbles then flip it over and cook the other side.

♥ Repeat with the other base & you're done!

The sauce is what makes a pizza awesome so I wanted to pack as much flavour into it as I could. Pesto is full of flavour, quick and easy to make all you need to do are gather your ingredients, throw them in a blender and blitz them into a smooth paste, no cooking required!

Sundried Tomato Pesto

5 sundried tomatoes*

1 tbsp pine nuts

1 garlic clove

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp mixed herbs

Salt & pepper to season

Once you've got your base and you sauce done you just need to add the toppings, I crammed a bunch of fresh veggies on mine which I cooked separately and some avocado to give it a hint of creaminess in place of cheese. You can add whatever toppings you want, the possibilities are endless and once your toppings are on you can eat right away or put in an oven to cook for a few minutes, quick, easy and fresh!

Good Luck

Cate

xoxo

*Try to use the sundried tomatoes in oil if you can but if not just add a tablespoon of olive oil to the mixture

19 April 2014

It's been over seven months since I got the news that my dog James had died. James came into my life at only a few days old, he was the size of my palm, blind, deaf and helpless, the sole survivor of a litter of puppies which had been buried alive by their mother.

That first night we got him we were clueless, I was sure that he wouldn't make it but we kept him warm, we made him feed and each day he got stronger. I took him everywhere with me in a little blue basket, I would sit in the middle of busy Bangkok shopping malls and bottle feed him and eventually he got so strong that he would yelp and scramble out of the basket to tell me it's feeding time. His first poop was so dramatic, he screamed, it was almost as big as he was! He was nearly two months old when I had to leave him but he had survived.

When I returned to Thailand the next year I was almost positive he wouldn't remember me but after a couple of wary sniffs he jumped on me, licked me to death and never left my side, his mummy was home. It seems strange to call him my dog when I only spent a couple months a year with him but we had a very close bond, I nursed him, I trained him, I loved him I always will.

Dogs are such amazing creatures they come into your life and they're so full of life and love you can't help but want to share your whole world with them. Pets really do enrich our lives. My life was so different before James came into it, he taught me so much about myself and although he was only in my life for 6 years the memories and happiness he gave to me will remain with me for a lifetime.

It has taken me a long time to write this as no words I can say can quite justify how much he meant to me and how lost I felt when he died but I feel like now is the right time to say my goodbye to him, especially as there's another little doggie in my life which needs my love and attention, but no matter what there will always be a place in my heart for my James.

14 April 2014

Spring is here so it's time to clear a little extra space in my wardrobe and make a little extra cash for the summer. Everything is listed on eBay with a start price of 99p and all end on Sunday, everything is in great condition and some are even brand new so check them out, you're sure to pick up a bargain!

12 April 2014

My make-up travel bag was starting to get a bit too heavy and as I only use a few shades out of each palette I thought it was about time I made my own. As much as I love my Liberty Hello Kitty palette it's not very durable, it's cardboard and the mirror is plastic so I thought I would re-pot a couple of my favourite shades into my favourite MAC palette which is more portable, durable and has a great mirror, and here's how I did it....

Make sure the eyeshadow is completely dry before you use it, I left it overnight and packed it down using the back of the spoon (and a clean finger) to check all the moisture had gone, it's as easy as that!

09 April 2014

Maleficent is my absolute favourite Disney villain she's just pure unadulterated evil and I love it! When I first started wearing my hair in victory rolls someone made a comment that I looked like Maleficent which naturally I took as a compliment so now every time I wear my hair like this I suddenly feel empowered and ready to take on the world.

Red lips and lashes also seem to have that empowered effect on me so this outfit made me feel super bad ass. I'm really excited for the Maleficent movie to come out, I adore Angelina Jolie and from what I've seen so far she looks just perfect in the role!

Most of my outfits have been taking on a theme lately, I guess it's just more fun that way and fashion is all about fun. I absolutely love that we're seeing more "geek girl fashion" now because for a long time people told me that I couldn't be into both comics and fashion and I wasn't a real fan but that's just absolute nonsense you can be into whatever you want there are no rules especially when it comes to the things that you love.

06 April 2014

Game of Thrones returns for another season and I could not be more excited, if you thought the Red Wedding was shocking be prepared because this season is going to be crazy I just can not wait! So to celebrate the return of my favourite series I've made another Direwolf Scarf, Summer.

Summer is Bran's Direwolf, and sometimes Bran. As I want to make each of the Direwolves look a different from each other I took inspiration from the show and the plushie for this design and went with a brownish coloured yarn, yellow glass eyes (the same as Nymeria and Grey Wind) and white details for the ears, chin and tail.

I'm so grateful for the positive feedback I've got on these scarves and to have George RR Martin say he likes them is the ultimate compliment! I can't wait to make more and complete my collection soon and who knows maybe once my Direscarf collection is complete I'll start work on some dragon scarves....

Dragons & Direwolves

Cate

xoxo

*Scarves are limited edition and available to buy on ETSY and STORENVY

03 April 2014

A big thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway, it was great to hear all your beauty faves, I'll definitely be checking a few of those out and a BIG congratulations to the winner Cally who also happens to be one of my awesome friends so be sure to check out her blog and awesome artwork.

For those of you who didn't win you can still enjoy 15% off all purchases made during the month of April in my Etsy Shopusing the codeSECRETSALE so be sure to take full advantage of it and keep following for more awesome giveaways soon!